Resources

Get a Bad Review? Here’s How to Turn It Into a Growth Opportunity

Posted December 22nd, 2015

Within a job, nobody wants a poor review, especially when they’re trying to do the best job possible. But you can actually use a negative review as an opportunity for growth if you give it the right spin, thus improving your performance and demonstrating it to your employer.

Take criticism constructively.

Your reaction to a bad review will entirely influence how you move forward in your position — or whether you do at all. Too many employees see any sort of criticism of their work as a personal affront, something to get angry about, make excuses, and defend against. All this tells an employer is that they have little room for growth and don’t have the maturity to take criticism and learn from it. An employee who truly wants to improve will listen carefully to his supervisor’s comments and ask how he can improve, getting specifics on what he could have done differently.

Work on self-examination.

Going a step beyond asking how she can improve, an employee with room for growth will take the time to sit down and go over the review, carefully considering the merits of the supervisor’s criticisms and how they apply. She’ll look at where she really does need to hone her skills and come up with a short- and long-term plan to improve each. It may be something she wants to go over with her supervisor, but if she comes up with the plan herself, it demonstrates her willingness to take ownership of her performance.

Move forward.

Once you have your plan in place, do what you can to actually make the improvements. Keep track of the negative review; don’t bury it and pretend it didn’t happen. Instead, use it as a stepping stone and have a better review next time. You may realize, after your introspection, that you’re simply not in the right position and that “moving forward” may actually entail moving on to another job that’s more fitting with your skills, whether it’s a lateral move to a different department within the company or a new place altogether.

A bad review shouldn’t derail your efforts; it should redouble them to do a better job the next time around. For help with skills and improvement, visit the staffing professionals at PrideStaff.